View source for Douglas Feith

{{Short description|American political official (born 1953)}}

{{use mdy dates |date=June 2021}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Doug Feith
| image               = Douglas J. Feith, 2001.jpg
| caption             = Official portrait, 2001
| office              = [[Under Secretary of Defense for Policy]]
| president           = [[George W. Bush]]
| term_start          = July 16, 2001
| term_end            = August 8, 2005
| predecessor         = [[Walter B. Slocombe]]
| successor           = [[Eric S. Edelman]]
| birth_date          = {{birth date and age|1953|7|16}}
| birth_place         = [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]], U.S.
| death_date          = 
| death_place         = 
| party               = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| education           = [[Harvard University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br />[[Georgetown University]] ([[Juris Doctor|JD]])
}}
'''Douglas Jay Feith''' ({{IPAc-en|'|f|aɪ|θ}}; born July 16, 1953) is an American lawyer who served as [[Under Secretary of Defense for Policy]] from July 2001 until August 2005. He is a senior fellow at the [[Hudson Institute]], a conservative [[think tank]].

Feith has been described as an architect of the [[Iraq War]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89429658|title=Feith Regrets Not Pushing 'Law and Order' in Iraq|website=[[NPR]]|date=April 8, 2008 |access-date=2019-04-21}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/25/education/25georgetown.html|title=Faculty's Chilly Welcome for Ex-Pentagon Official|last=DeParle|first=Jason|date=2006-05-25|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-04-21 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> In the lead up to the war, he played a key role in promoting the false claim that the [[Saddam Hussein]] regime had an [[Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda link allegations|operational relationship with al-Qaeda]] (even though there was scant credible evidence of such a relationship at the time). A [[The Pentagon | Pentagon]] [[Inspector General]] report found that Feith's office had "developed, produced, and then disseminated alternative [[intelligence assessment]]s on the Iraq and al Qaida relationship, which included some conclusions that were inconsistent with the consensus of the [[United States Intelligence Community | Intelligence Community]], to senior decision-makers."<ref name="washingtonpost2007" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/special-reports/iraq-intelligence/article24461020.html|title=Pentagon office produced 'alternative' intelligence on Iraq|first=Jonathan S.|last=Landay|agency=McClatchy DC|access-date=2019-04-21}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Feith was born to a [[Jewish]] family in [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]], one of three children of Rose (née Bankel) and Dalck Feith. His father was a member of the [[Betar]], a [[Revisionist Zionist]] youth organization, in Poland, and a [[Holocaust survivor]] who lost his parents and seven siblings in the [[Nazi concentration camp]]s.<ref>{{cite news |last=Myers |first=Zara |date=October 27, 2005 |title=Dalck Feith, Electronics Chief and Community Leader, Dies at 91 |url=http://www.jewishexponent.com/dalck-feith,-electronics-chief-and-community-leader,-dies-at-91-0 |newspaper=Jewish Exponent |location=Philadelphia, PA}}</ref> Dalck came to the United States during World War II and became a businessman, a [[philanthropist]], and a donor to the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican party]].<ref name=learning/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/20160203_Rose_Feith__philanthropist_in_Philadelphia_and_Israel.html|title=Rose Feith, philanthropist in Philadelphia and Israel|first=Bonnie L.|last=Cook|date=3 February 2016|access-date=5 January 2017|work=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]}}</ref>

Feith grew up in [[Elkins Park, Pennsylvania|Elkins Park]], part of [[Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania|Cheltenham Township]], a [[Philadelphia]] suburb. He attended [[Philadelphia]]'s [[Central High School (Philadelphia)|Central High School]], and later attended [[Harvard University]], where he obtained his undergraduate degree and graduated [[magna cum laude]] in 1975. He continued on to the [[Georgetown University Law Center]], receiving his J.D. magna cum laude in 1978. After graduation, he worked for three years as an attorney with the law firm [[Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP]].

==Career==

===Work as a Democrat===
Feith worked on the staff of senator [[Henry M. Jackson]] in 1975<ref>{{cite news|last=Borger|first=Julian|title=Democrat hawk whose ghost guides Bush; Scoop Jackson's body is 20 years in the grave but his spirit goes marching on|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/dec/06/usa.julianborger|access-date=26 October 2012|newspaper=The Guardian|date=6 December 2002}}</ref> before going on to work on [[Elmo Zumwalt]]'s campaign against segregationist senator [[Harry Byrd, Jr.]]<ref>{{cite book|last=Zumwalt Jr.|first=Elmo|title=On Watch: A Memoir|year=1976|location=Chapters 8 and 9}}</ref> Byrd, an independent since 1970, defeated Zumwalt, a Democrat, 57–38%.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?fips=51&year=1976&f=0&elect=0&off=3|title=1976 Senatorial General Election Results - Virginia}}</ref>

===Reagan administration===
At Harvard, Feith had studied under [[Richard Pipes]], who joined the [[Reagan administration]]'s [[United States National Security Council|National Security Council]], in 1981, to help carry out a private intelligence project called [[Team B]] that Pipes and his students had conceived.<ref name="autogenerated10">{{cite news|url=http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0PAH/is_2004_April_23/ai_116585447 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070208204614/http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0PAH/is_2004_April_23/ai_116585447 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2007-02-08 |title=Defense, democracy and the war on terrorism - Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Douglas J. Feith – Transcript &#124; US Department of Defense Speeches &#124; Find Articles at BNET.com |publisher=Findarticles.com |access-date=2010-07-18 |year=2004 }}</ref> Feith joined the NSC as a Middle East specialist that same year, working under Pipes.

He transferred from the NSC staff to [[the Pentagon]], in 1982, to work as special counsel for [[Richard Perle]], who was then serving as assistant secretary to the [[United States Secretary of Defense]]. [[United States Secretary of Defense|Secretary of Defense]] [[Caspar Weinberger]] promoted Feith, in 1984, to deputy assistant secretary of defense for negotiations policy. When Feith left the Pentagon, in 1986, Weinberger awarded him the [[Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service]], the department's highest civilian award.

During his time in the Pentagon in the Reagan administration, Feith helped to convince the [[Joint Chiefs of Staff]], Weinberger and [[United States Secretary of State|Secretary of State]] [[George Shultz]] all to recommend against ratification of changes to the [[Geneva Conventions]]. The changes, known as the "Additional Protocols," grant armed non-state actors [[prisoner of war]] status under certain circumstances even if they fail to distinguish themselves from the civilian population to the same extent as members of the armed forces of a high contracting party.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Solfe|first=Waldemar|title=A Response to Douglas J. Feith's Law in the Service of Terror – The Strange Case of the Additional Protocol|journal=Akron Law Review|year=1986–1987|volume=20|pages=266–68}}</ref>  Reagan informed the [[United States Senate]] in 1987 that he would not ratify Additional Protocol I. At the time, both ''[[The Washington Post]]'' and ''[[The New York Times]]'' editorialized in favor of Reagan's decision to reject Additional Protocol I as a revision of humanitarian law that protected terrorists.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/02/17/opinion/denied-a-shield-for-terrorists.html | title=Denied: A Shield for Terrorists | work=The New York Times | date=February 17, 1987 |access-date =2009-04-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.dougfeith.com/docs/2008_07_15_Feith_Opening_Statement.pdf | title=Statement by Douglas J. Feith Before the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Subcommittee of the House Committee on the Judiciary | date=July 15, 2008 | access-date =2010-03-06}}</ref>

===Private practice===
Feith began his career as an attorney in private practice with the law firm [[Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP]] for 3 years, after which he joined the Reagan administration (see the previous section).

Upon leaving the Pentagon, Feith co-founded, with [[Marc Zell]], the Washington, DC law firm of Feith & Zell. The firm engaged in lobbying efforts for, among others, the Turkish, Israeli and Bosnian governments, in addition to representing defense corporations [[Lockheed Martin]] and [[Northrop Grumman]]. Feith left the firm in 2001, following his nomination as Undersecretary of Defense for Policy.

===Bush administration===
Feith joined the administration of President [[George W. Bush]] as Undersecretary of Defense for Policy in 2001. His appointment was facilitated by connections he had with other [[neoconservative]]s, including Richard Perle and [[Paul Wolfowitz]]. With his new appointment in hand, Feith proved influential in having Richard Perle chosen as chairman of the [[Defense Policy Board Advisory Committee | Defense Policy Board]].<ref name="shadow elite">{{cite book |title=Shadow Elite: How the World's New Power Brokers Undermine Democracy, Government, and the Free Market |last=Wedel |first=Janine R. |author-link=Janine R. Wedel |year=2009 |publisher=[[Basic Books]] |location=New York |isbn=978-0-465-02084-3 |page=[https://archive.org/details/shadowelitehowwo0000wede/page/149 149] |url=https://archive.org/details/shadowelitehowwo0000wede |url-access=registration |access-date=2012-05-02}}</ref> Feith was criticized during the first term of the Bush administration for creating the [[Office of Strategic Influence]]. This office came into existence to support the [[war on terror]]. The office's aim was to conduct non-covert influence operations in foreign countries. However, after significant media scrutiny into what exactly would fall within the OSI's mandate, Defense Secretary [[Donald Rumsfeld]] had Feith shut the office down, while transferring its functions elsewhere within the Department of Defense. Feith played a significant role in the buildup to the [[Iraq War]].<ref name="blue">{{cite web |url=http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/de847418-70d3-11d9-b572-00000e2511c8.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/de847418-70d3-11d9-b572-00000e2511c8.html |archive-date=December 10, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Relief and speculation as Pentagon official quits |first=Demetri |last=Sevastopulo |date=2005-01-28 |work=[[Financial Times]] |access-date=2012-05-02}}</ref> Feith has been characterized as an architect of the Iraq War.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />

As part of his portfolio, he supervised the Pentagon [[Office of Special Plans]], a group of policy and intelligence analysts created to provide senior government officials with raw intelligence, unvetted by the intelligence community.<ref name="Alesandrovna">{{cite news |last=Alexandrovna |first=Larisa |url=http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Senate_Intelligence_Committee_stalling_prewar_intelligence_1202.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080903201324/http://www.rawstory.com/news/2005/Senate_Intelligence_Committee_stalling_prewar_intelligence_1202.html |archivedate=2008-09-03 |title= Senate Intelligence Committee Stalling Pre-war Intelligence Report |work=[[The Raw Story]] |date=December 2, 2005 |access-date=May 22, 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |authorlink=Karen Kwiatkowski |first=Karen |last=Kwiatkowski |title=The new Pentagon papers |date=March 10, 2004 |work=Salon.com |url=https://www.salon.com/2004/03/10/osp/ |access-date=18 June 2021 }}</ref> The office was responsible for hiring [[Lawrence Franklin espionage scandal|Lawrence Franklin]], who was later convicted along with [[American Israel Public Affairs Committee|AIPAC]] employees [[Steve J. Rosen|Steven J. Rosen]] and Keith Weissman for passing classified national defense information to an Israeli diplomat [[Naor Gilon]]. The office, eventually dismantled, was later criticized in Congress and the media for analysis that was contradicted by CIA analysis and investigations performed following the [[Iraq War|invasion of Iraq]]. In response to the allegedly poor work of Feith's Office of Special Plans, General [[Tommy Franks]], who led both the [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|2001 invasion of Afghanistan]] and the Iraq War called Feith "the dumbest fucking guy on the planet".<ref name=learning/><ref>{{cite web |last=Black |first=Simon |date=2011-04-09 |url=http://archive.lewrockwell.com/orig11/black-s42.1.html |title=And This Year's Nobel Prize in Goes To... |work=[[LewRockwell.com]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Fiasco: the American military adventure in Iraq |last=Ricks |first=Thomas E. |author-link=Thomas E. Ricks (journalist) |year=2007 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=978-0-14-303891-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JuWlzq_2IVwC&q=%22the+dumbest+fucking+guy+on+the+planet%22&pg=PT115 |access-date=April 12, 2011}}</ref>

[[File:Douglas J. Feith and Yuri Baluyevsky, 2002.jpg|thumb|Douglas Feith and General-Colonel Yuriy Nikolayevich Baluyevskiy hold a joint press conference at the Pentagon on Jan. 16, 2002.]]

Feith was responsible for the [[de-Ba'athification]] policy promulgated in [[Coalition Provisional Authority]] (CPA) Order 1 which entered into force on 16 May 2003.<ref>Chandrasekaran, R. ''Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone''. New York: Vintage Books, 2006. pp 79-80</ref><ref>Kaplan, Fred ''Daydream Believers''. Hoboken: J. Wiley & Sons, 2008. p.152</ref>

In February 2007, the Pentagon's inspector general issued a [https://www.npr.org/documents/2007/feb/dod_iog_iraq_summary.pdf report] that concluded that Feith's office "developed, produced, and then disseminated alternative intelligence assessments on the Iraq and [[al-Qaeda]] relationship, which included some conclusions that were inconsistent with the consensus of the Intelligence Community, to senior decision-makers." This repeated Feith's earlier involvement with [[Team B]] as a postgraduate, when alternative intelligence assessments exaggerating threats to the United States turned out to be wrong on nearly every point. The report found that these actions were "inappropriate" though not "illegal." Senator [[Carl Levin]], Chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, stated that "The bottom line is that intelligence relating to the Iraq-al-Qaeda relationship was manipulated by high-ranking officials in the Department of Defense to support the administration's decision to invade Iraq. The inspector general's report is a devastating condemnation of inappropriate activities in the DOD policy office that helped take this nation to war."<ref name="washingtonpost2007">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/08/AR2007020802387.html |title=Official's Key Report On Iraq Is Faulted |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=2007-02-08 |access-date=2008-11-04 |first1=Walter |last1=Pincus}}</ref> At Senator Levin's insistence, on April 6, 2007,  the Pentagon's Inspector General's Report was declassified and released to the public.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://levin.senate.gov/newsroom/supporting/2007/SASC.DODIGFeithreport.040507.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326114447/http://levin.senate.gov/newsroom/supporting/2007/SASC.DODIGFeithreport.040507.pdf |archive-date=2009-03-26 |title=Review of the Pre-Iraqi War Activities of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy}}&nbsp;{{small|(5.38&nbsp;MB)}}</ref>

Responding to criticism of a report that [[Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda link allegations|linked Al-Qaeda with Iraq]] under [[Saddam Hussein]], Feith called the office's report a much-needed critique of the CIA's intelligence. "It's healthy to criticize the CIA's intelligence", Feith said. "What the people in the Pentagon were doing was right. It was good government." Feith also rejected accusations he attempted to link Iraq to a formal relationship with Al Qaeda. "No one in my office ever claimed there was an operational relationship", Feith said. "There was a relationship."<ref name=feithresponds>{{cite news |last=Feller |first=Ben |url=https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2007/02/12/official-defends-prewar-iraq-al-qaida-link/ |title=Official defends prewar Iraq-al-Qaida link |agency=[[Associated Press]] |work=East Bay Times |date=February 11, 2007 }}</ref> Feith stated that he "felt vindicated" by the report of the Pentagon inspector general.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2007/feb/08/20070208-105824-1688r/ |title=Defense report OKs policy chief's intelligence move |work=[[The Washington Times]] |date=2007-02-08 |access-date=2008-11-04}}</ref> He told ''The Washington Post'' that his office produced "a criticism of the consensus of the intelligence community, and in presenting it I was not endorsing its substance."<ref name="washingtonpost2007" />

Feith was the first senior Pentagon official to leave the administration after Bush was re-elected.<ref name="shadow elite" /> There was some speculation when Feith announced he was leaving as to why he was stepping down. Some believed he was pressured to leave because of problems over his performance and his increasing marginalization.<ref name="purple">{{cite news |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-104876866.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018005451/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-104876866.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2015-10-18 |title=Politics-U.S.: Feith leaving pentagon - twilight of the neo-cons? |first=Jim |last=Lobe |date=2005-01-28 |agency=[[Inter Press Service|Inter Press Service English News Wire]] |access-date=2012-05-02}}</ref>

===Post-government career===
Following his government service, Feith was employed by the [[Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service]] at [[Georgetown University]], where he taught a course on the Bush administration's [[anti-terrorism]] policy. He came to [[Georgetown University|Georgetown]]'s [[Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service|School of Foreign Service]] after leaving [[Stanford University|Stanford]]'s [[Hoover Institution]] and was appointed by School of Foreign Service dean, [[Robert Gallucci]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/25/education/25georgetown.html?_r=1&oref=slogin |work=The New York Times |title=Faculty's Chilly Welcome for Ex-Pentagon Official |first=Jason |last=Deparle |date=2006-05-25 |access-date=2010-05-01}}</ref> However, his hiring "caused an uproar among the Foreign Service school faculty." Two years later, Feith's contract was not renewed,<ref name="Kamen04232008">{{cite journal |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/22/AR2008042202465.html|title=Feith and Hope|last=Kamen|first=Al|date=2008-04-23|issue=In the Loop|access-date=2008-08-29|newspaper=The Washington Post|pages=A19}}</ref> causing continuing hostility between the Georgetown Law Center faculty and alumni and the Foreign Service school faculty.

In 2008, Feith became a senior fellow at [[Hudson Institute]], where he is the director of its Center for National Security Strategies.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hudson.org/experts/552-douglas-j-feith|title=Experts - Douglas J. Feith - Hudson Institute|website=www.hudson.org|access-date=2018-06-05}}</ref><ref>[http://www.hudson.org/learn/index.cfm?fuseaction=staff_bio&eid=DougFeith Official Bio] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081106125133/http://www.hudson.org/learn/index.cfm?fuseaction=staff_bio&eid=DougFeith |date=2008-11-06 }}, Hudson Institute website.</ref>

==Views and publications==
Feith is a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]], and has contributed money to various party candidates over the years.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newsmeat.com/washington_political_donations/Douglas_Feith.php |title=NEWSMEAT ▷ Douglas Feith's Federal Campaign Contribution Report |publisher=Newsmeat.com |date=2010-07-09 |access-date=2010-07-18 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100215080337/http://newsmeat.com/washington_political_donations/Douglas_Feith.php |archive-date=2010-02-15}}</ref> He has been described as a [[Neoconservatism (United States)|neoconservative]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/disciplining-terror/8507D81A57571A7DC8B1AF77F35EDCC3|title=Disciplining Terror by Lisa Stampnitzky|last=Stampnitzky|first=Lisa|date=2013|publisher=Cambridge University Press|page=176 |doi=10.1017/CBO9781139208161|isbn=9781139208161|access-date=2019-02-14}}</ref> One of Feith's controversial views was his argument that increasing the number of political appointees equated to more democracy,<ref name="shadow elite"/>  which would help align government policy to the promises politicians make before they get into office.

Feith's writings have appeared in ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'', ''[[Commentary (magazine)|Commentary]]'', and ''[[The New Republic]]''. He has contributed chapters to a number of books, including James W. Muller's ''Churchill as Peacemaker'', Raphael Israeli's ''The Dangers of a Palestinian State'' and Uri Ra'anan's ''Hydra of Carnage: International Linkages of Terrorism'', as well as serving as co-editor for ''Israel's Legitimacy in Law and History''.

Feith is an ardent supporter of Israel.  Along with [[Richard Perle]] and [[David Wurmser]], he was a member of the study group which authored a controversial report entitled ''[[A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.israeleconomy.org/strat1.htm |title=A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm |publisher=Israeleconomy.org |access-date=2010-07-18 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111209075946/http://www.israeleconomy.org/strat1.htm |archive-date=2011-12-09 }}</ref> a set of policy recommendations for the newly elected Israeli [[prime minister]], [[Benjamin Netanyahu]]. The report was published by the Institute for Advanced Strategic and Political Studies without an individual author being named. According to the report, Feith was one of the people who participated in roundtable discussions that produced ideas that the report reflects. Feith pointed out in a September 16, 2004 letter to the editor of ''The Washington Post'' that he was not the co-author and did not clear the report's final text. He wrote, "There is no warrant for attributing any particular idea [in the report], let alone all of them, to any one participant."

Feith was on the board of the [[JINSA|Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs]] (JINSA), a think tank that promotes a military and strategic alliance between the United States and Israel.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thenation.com/doc/20020902/vest |title=The Men From JINSA and CSP, by Jason Vest, 9/2/02 |publisher=Thenation.com |access-date=2010-07-18}}</ref>

Feith was interviewed by the CBS news magazine ''[[60 Minutes]]'' in a segment that was aired on April 6, 2008.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/04/03/60minutes/printable3992653.shtml|title=''Insider: Iraq Attack Was Preemptive''|website=[[CBS News]] |access-date=February 15, 2019|archive-date=October 23, 2008|archive-url=https://archive.today/20081023024946/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/04/03/60minutes/printable3992653.shtml|url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref> During this interview he promoted his newly released memoir, ''[[War and Decision]]'' and defended the decision making that led to the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.

===''War and Decision''===
{{main|War and Decision}}

On April 8, 2008, Feith's memoir,  ''[[War and Decision: Inside the Pentagon at the Dawn of the War on Terrorism]]'', was published by HarperCollins.

==War crimes investigation==
{{main|The Bush Six}}

In 2009, Feith became one of several Bush administration officials under consideration for investigation of possible [[war crimes]] in a Spanish court, headed by [[Baltasar Garzón]] under claims of universal jurisdiction. The case had reportedly still been active as of 2011.<ref name=Reuters2009-03-28>
{{cite news
| url=https://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idINLT53678920090329
| title=Spain may decide Guantanamo probe this week
| publisher=Reuters
| date=2009-03-28
| archive-date=2009-04-26
| url-status=live
| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090426200038/http://in.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idINLT53678920090329?sp=true
}}</ref><ref name=NYTimes2009-03-28>
{{cite news
| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/29/world/europe/29spain.html?_r=1&hp
| title=Spanish Court Weighs Inquiry on Torture for 6 Bush-Era Officials
| date=2009-03-28
| author=Marlise Simons
| work=The New York Times
| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090416192704/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/29/world/europe/29spain.html?_r=1&hp
| url-status=live
| archive-date=2009-04-16
}}</ref><ref name=YahooNews2009-04-16>
{{cite news
| url=https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090416/ap_on_re_eu/eu_spain_us_torture_6
| title=Spanish AG: No torture probe of US officials
| date=2009-04-16
| author=Paul Haven
| publisher=[[Yahoo News]]
| archive-url=https://archive.today/20090502234048/http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090416/ap_on_re_eu/eu_spain_us_torture_6
| url-status=dead
| archive-date=2009-05-02
}}</ref><ref name=Cnn2009-04-23>
{{cite news
| url=https://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/04/23/spain.court.guantanamo/
| title=Spanish court sends Guantanamo case to new judge
| date=2009-04-23
| author=Al Goodman
| publisher=CNN
| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090503132622/http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/04/23/spain.court.guantanamo/
| url-status=live
| archive-date=2009-05-03
}}</ref><ref name=TheGuardian2009-04-29>
{{cite news
| url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/apr/29/spain-court-guantanamo-detainees-torture
| title=Spanish court opens investigation of Guantánamo torture allegations
| date=2009-04-29
| author=Giles Tremblett
| work=The Guardian
| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090502155938/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/apr/29/spain-court-guantanamo-detainees-torture
| archive-date=2009-05-02
| url-status=live
| location=London
}}</ref><ref name=Afp2009-04-29>
{{cite news
| url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iAI5j8L_T9-ohjwCcZOXPT7Bf95g
| title=Spanish judge opens probe into Guantanamo torture
| date=2009-04-29
| publisher=[[Agence France Presse]]
| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120116063649/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iAI5j8L_T9-ohjwCcZOXPT7Bf95g
| url-status=dead
| archive-date=2012-01-16
}}</ref><ref name=TheTelegraph2009-04-29>
{{cite news
| url=http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/geraldwarner/9658403/Spanish_judge_uses_memos_released_by_Barack_Obama_to_pursue_Bush_officials/
| title=Spanish judge uses memos released by Barack Obama to pursue Bush officials
| date=2009-04-29
| author=Gerald Warner
| work=The Daily Telegraph
| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090503234856/http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/gerald_warner/blog/2009/04/29/spanish_judge_uses_memos_released_by_barack_obama_to_pursue_bush_officials
| archive-date=2009-05-03
| url-status=dead
| location=London
}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
Feith is married with four children.<ref>{{Cite web|title=News Post|url=http://www.cesjds.org/cf_news/view.cfm?newsid=4602|access-date=2020-11-16|website=www.cesjds.org}}</ref><ref name=learning>{{Cite magazine|last=Goldberg|first=Jeffrey|title=A Little Learning|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2005/05/09/a-little-learning-2 |date=May 1, 2005 |access-date=2020-11-16 |magazine=The New Yorker|language=en-us}}</ref> His eldest son, Daniel Feith, graduated from [[Harvard College]] and [[Yale Law School]] and served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Consumer Protection Branch in the [[United States Department of Justice]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-08-05|title=Deputy Assistant Attorney General|url=https://www.justice.gov/civil/staff-profile/deputy-assistant-attorney-general-4|access-date=2020-11-16|website=justice.gov}}</ref> His second son, David Feith, graduated from [[Columbia University]] and worked as an editorial writer for ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' and an assistant editor at ''[[Foreign Affairs]]'' before serving as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs in the [[United States Department of State]] from July 2020 to January 2021<ref>{{Cite web |title=David Feith |url=https://www.state.gov/biographies/david-feith/ |access-date=2020-11-16 |website=United States Department of State |language=en-US}}</ref> and at the [[United States National Security Council]] from January to April 2025.<ref>{{cite news |first=Marc |last=Rod |title=Trump's National Security Council staffs up |url=https://jewishinsider.com/2025/01/mike-waltz-national-security-council-staff-trump/ |work=[[Jewish Insider]] |date=January 14, 2025 |access-date=April 3, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Brett |last=Samuels |title=National Security Council staffers fired in wake of Trump meeting with Laura Loomer |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5230207-nsc-staffers-fired-trump-laura-loomer/ |work=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]] |date=April 3, 2025 |access-date=April 3, 2025}}</ref>

==Footnotes==
{{reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
* ''{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20081202051510/http://fora.tv/2008/10/23/Douglas_Feith_War_and_Decision War and Decision: Ford Hall Forum Boston, MA October 23, 2008]}}'' a video of a talk by Douglas Feith 1hr and 42min.
* [https://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/12/opinion/12dowd.html?em&ex=1197694800&en=5332f2b831e17d52&ei=5087%0A Maureen Dowd, "The Dream is Dead," ''The New York Times'', 12 December 2007]
* [[n:Vanity Fair editor Craig Unger on the development of the Office of Special Plans|Vanity Fair editor Craig Unger on the development of the Office of Special Plans]]
* ''Special Plans: the blogs on Douglas Feith and the faulty intelligence that led to war'' by Allison Hantschel, Wilsonville, Oregon: William, James & Co., September 2005 {{ISBN|1-59028-049-0}}
* ''Deadly Dogma: How Neoconservatives Broke the Law to Deceive America'' by Smith, Grant F., Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy, 2006, {{ISBN|0-9764437-4-0}}.
* ''Clear Ideas vs. Foggy Bottom'' by Melanie Kirkpatrick, ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' August 5, 2003, p. A8.
* ''White House Learned of Spy Probe in 2001'' by Curt Anderson, [[Associated Press]], September 3, 2004.
* ''Chain of Command: The Road from 9/11 to Abu Ghraib'' by Seymour Hersh, New York: Harper Collins. 2004. {{ISBN|0-06-019591-6}}.
* ''Israel's Legitimacy in Law and History'' Feith, Douglas J., ''et al.''; ed. Siegel, Edward M.; assoc.ed. Barrekette, Olga; ''Proceedings of the Conference on International Law and the Arab-Israeli Conflict'' (New York, October 21, 1990), Sponsored by ''The Louis D. Brandeis Society of Zionist Lawyers'', Center for Near East Policy Research, 1993, {{ISBN|0-9640145-0-5}}.
* ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20111209075946/http://www.israeleconomy.org/strat1.htm A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm]'' by [[David Wurmser]], 1996
* ''Plan of Attack'' by [[Bob Woodward]], New York: Simon & Schuster, 2004, {{ISBN|0-7432-5547-X}}.
* ''A Dangerous Appointment: Profile of Douglas Feith, Undersecretary of Defense under Bush'' by James J. Zogby, Middle East Information Center, April 18, 2001
* ''Israeli Settlements: Legitimate, Democratically Mandated, Vital to Israel's Security and, Therefore, in U.S. Interest'', The Center for Security Policy, Transition Brief No. 96‐T 130, December 17, 1996

==External links==
{{cc}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* [http://www.dougfeith.com Douglas Feith's personal website]
* {{C-SPAN|11999}}
* [https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Feith.html Douglas Feith biography], from ''The [[Jewish Virtual Library]]''
* [https://hudson.org/experts/552-douglas-j-feith Feith's Hudson Institute Profile]
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{{succession box|
 before=[[Walter B. Slocombe]]|
 title=[[United States Department of Defense]]<br />[[Under Secretary of Defense for Policy]]|
 after=[[Eric S. Edelman]]|
 years=2001–2005}}
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{{Neoconservatism}}
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